Yomigaeri no Maou

Though it was established that it would be fine to talk about Luru and Iris’ situation, where to begin was one of the remaining problems.
It was just that Luru was of the demon race, but there was the problem of whether he should also tell them about his being the demon king.
However, he had also thought this through yesterday.

Right now, Gran and Yuumis were one of his few information sources, and they made for a good sample for finding out about the common sense of this era.
He wanted to know how normal people felt about the ancient demon race, and the demon king.
And since he cast a contract spell on Gran and Yuumis, no matter what they heard, they weren’t in a position to make it public.
The two might have thought it possible to remove the spell one day, but the contract magic that Luru used was quite a strong one, so at the very least, somebody who wasn’t at a level where they could easily rewrite Yuumis’ barrier magic would find dispelling the contract magic more or less impossible, you could say.
And if Luru were to believe the two of them, almost n.o.body in this era possessed such a level of magic sequence alteration skill.
In other words, they wouldn’t be able to so easily dispel Luru’s magic.
On top of that, even if hypothetically they could undo the magic, even if they did reveal his past, it wouldn’t really be that big a problem.
To begin with, if they went about saying that the son of a lower cla.s.s n.o.ble family in a small village was the resurrected demon king from thousands of years ago, just who on earth would believe them?
It was hard to think of it as any huge problem even if they went around spreading such a rumour.
On the contrary, it would be a bigger problem if his skill with magic was leaked out.
However, from here on, in order to protect himself, as well as in order to investigate the ancient demon race in this era, they were skills that he had no choice but to use.
It would probably be difficult to completely conceal it.
In other words, this information was something that would eventually be leaked.

Having thought like this, Luru decided that there was not a single thing about his circ.u.mstances that he needed to actively hide.
It was nothing more than some conservative thinking about not wanting to reveal it immediately after casting the magic on the pair.

Having thought that far, Luru finally opened his mouth.

“…I wonder just where I’m supposed to start? To begin with, I don’t think you two will believe me, but…”

It was a preface, perhaps you could say, or some words to defend himself later, but it seemed to damage Yuumis’ mood, and she said,

“You’ve already cast the contract magic, so just speak without reserve already. If this turns out to be nothing big, then it’ll be like, ‘Just what on earth were all these constraints for?‘, you know?”

Being told that, Luru realised that she was right, and thinking that he’d stop with the troublesome way of speaking, he decided to just frankly state the facts.
There was also the fact that he almost completely believed in Gran and Yuumis.
Even if they’d betray him, it would only be at a forgivable level.

“Well, you’re completely right, I guess. It seemed like a good idea… but I’ll speak frankly. I, and Iris as well, are of the ancient demon race.”

Gran and Yuumis lost their words at the truth that was spoken so frankly, as though it were nothing.
For at least a moment, the two of them probably thought that he was lying.
However, were that the case, they couldn’t understand the point of Luru going as far as preparing a contract spell.
Even if they spread such a lie, n.o.body would believe it.
Also, thought it wasn’t as though there was no possibility of this being a trap for the two of them, it was much too roundabout a method, and since he was skilled enough to create a barrier that even Yuumis couldn’t escape from, harming them directly would be a quicker, and more surefire choice.
Having thought this far, there was no choice but to accept what Luru said as truth.
Coming to this conclusion in their minds, unexpectedly, the first of the two to regain their footing was Yuumis.

“…’What kind of nonsense is this?’ ― is probably what I should be saying, huh?”

“I wonder about that. Honestly, I don’t have much common sense, you see… Iris as well. Neither of us can accurate grasp just how rare an existence the ancient demon race is, or how they’re viewed. That’s why I can’t even imagine what a normal reaction would be… But from what I can see about your reactions at least, it seems that just like the book I read, we demons seem to have become almost legendary or something, huh…”

To Luru who said as such, Yuumis jumped up and said,

“Obviously! Something like the ancient demon race… This is coming from someone researching it like me, but it’s a world of lies, fakes and delusions you know!? For something like that… to be before your eyes… Even if you said that, n.o.body would believe you, you know… To begin with, just how on earth can you prove this?”

“If you say that I’ll be… troubled, but for proof… at the least, the reason Iris and I could alter your barrier spell was because of that. It’s not something that anybody can easily do, right?”

Being told that, it seems like Yuumis’ words were stuck in her throat because she just muttered, ‘Uu…’ and sat back down again.
It probably hit where it hurt.
Yuumis’ skill was a certainty.
From Luru’s point of view, there was nothing but a feeling of oddness about the fact that despite her skill in magecraft, her ability in magic sequence alteration was so low.
It was because of this that Luru supposed that the technique he used basically didn’t exist in this era, and thus he said what he did.

After that, having watched Luru and Yuumi’s discussion and seemingly coming back to himself, Gran began asking questions in an apologetic and timid manner unsuited to his large build.

“I’d thought that you weren’t a normal kid, but for you to be an ancient demon… But in that case, ain’t it weird? For starters, your parents are definitely n.o.bles of this nation. They have a recorded family tree, and you can easily guess that there weren’t any ancient demons or anything in those records. But despite that, you say that you’re an ancient demon? As for Iris-jouchan, she was sleeping in those ruins. Because of that, it’s not like I can’t imagine it but…”

It was a completely justified doubt.
But there was the question of whether a human could understand the explanation.
The idea of reincarnation was a concept endemic to the demon race.
However, having throught that far, Luru remembered － ‘Come to think of it…‘

“Ah, right. A while ago, I asked Yuumis about what she wanted to become if she could be reborn, right?”

“…? Yeah. I wanted to become a bird. What about it?”

“You understand the concept of rebirth?”

“Well, yes. I do. It’s when the soul transmigrates, isn’t it? It’s romantic, right?”

At Yuumis who seemed like she was dreaming of something a little as she replied, Luru and Iris received a huge shock.

“Luru-sama… Just what does this mean?”

“I don’t know either but… it seems that she really does understand, huh…”

Yuumis wasn’t a human, but an elf. However, even so, in the past, such words coming out of an elven mouth was impossible.
The concept of reincarnation was endemic to the demon race; a religious faith.
The demon race had in the past, been dealt defeat.
This being the case, the religion of the current era should have been unified, and the likes of the ancient demon faith should have been consigned to the dark oblivion of history, but it seems that at the very least, the idea of reincarnation remained.
Religion was quite lacking in the village, so there were no establishments of the church there meaning that Luru hadn’t thought very deeply about it, but Luru now realised that it was something he needed to investigate.
Having said that though, right now this wasn’t what they were supposed to be talking about.
They were discussing Luru’s ident.i.ty.
Getting back on topic, Luru continued.

“Well… If you understand the concept of reincarnation, then this makes things a lot quicker. I’m not an ancient demon, per se, but somebody reborn from an ancient demon into a human. That’s why my body is that of a genuine human, and my parents are both humans as well.”

“Re-, -born… So there really was rebirth after all…!”

“It wasn’t a lie, huh…? There’s still something after death, huh…”

Both Yuumis and Gran’s eyes were widened in shock.
Luru understood their feelings quite well.
In truth, even Luru and Iris who were of a faith that believed in this couldn’t hide their shock when it happened to Luru himself.
Luru continued in a way that didn’t interrupt them.

“It’s not a lie. The reason being that I died in my previous life. Iris can attest to the fact that there’s no mistaking that. In truth, Iris and I were originally acquaintances. And for some reason I don’t know, the two of us reunited in this era… Ahh, it’s not as though I stuffed her in there, by the way. It was all just coincidence…”

“Meaning… Hang on. Was the explanation you gave me in the ruins a lie, then?”

Gran looked at Iris a little accusingly.
From the point of view of Gran who had sympathised with her, if it really were a lie, it was something he felt a little sad.
However, Iris shook her head.

“No. Not a single thing was a lie.”

“Then what does this mean?”

“In the past, I lost a very important person to me… That person was the very personage sitting right here, Luru-sama.”

“…That’s…”

“In the past, because Luru-sama was the very good friend of my father, he was kind even to me. Luru-sama was a personage who should have been busy enough that they had no time to spare on the likes of a child like me, but despite this, he came to visit me in various ways… On my birthday, he would unfailing come with a present in hand to celebrate, and would play with me very much. Because of this… it did not take very long for me to develop a deep, deep affection for Luru-sama.”

Having said all of that in a breath, Iris cut off her words temporarily.
And then suddenly looking into s.p.a.ce as though she was recalling something, her eyebrows knit into a sad expression, and she began to continue speaking.

“However, in those days… it was a chaotic era of war. Absolutely no one could escape from the fighting, and Luru-sama was a personage who was constantly in the centre of it. On the eve of my seventh birthday… Luru-sama… was killed. As Luru-sama was, as I stated a moment ago, constantly in the middle of the war. From when I was very little, I had prepared myself for the fact that something like this might one day happen. However, the way he died was much too grand… so not a single one of we retainers could see him off when he pa.s.sed…”

Gnawing on her lip, Iris continued.
The next expression on her face was wrath.

“I felt regret. I felt mortified… So I decided on revenge. Not against the ones that killed him… But against the world that killed him,  I would raise a beacon of rebellion, I thought. I would crush war, and the reasons that caused it, as a memorial service for Luru-sama, I thought. However… In the end, my determination came to an end halfway. Along the way, I was kidnapped by an unknown somebody, and was thrown into the equipment in those ruins… After that, it is as you know, Gran-sama. I saw you and Luru-sama, and in my half-awoken daze, I immediately attacked you as well… and like that, we arrive at this point.”

Once she reached the end of what she wanted to say, Iris returned to her normal calm expression.
Hearing that, Gran made a difficult expression,

“You had those kind of circ.u.mstances… Sorry, for doubting you…”

and apologised.
As for Iris, she replied,

“No. What I said to you in the ruins was not a lie, but… neither was it accurate. And the intent was to conceal the truth. That I was doubted was a matter of course. On the contrary, I would like to thank you for forgiving me…”

“It’s fine. Don’t worry… I get it now… But leaving Luru aside, Iris-chan… just how old are you? You didn’t reincarnate or anything, right?”

It was something that was on Luru’s mind as well.
Before Luru died, certainly she was a girl who was intelligent beyond her age, but he had no memories of it being to this extent.
Iris thought about it for a little, and spoke.

“…When Luru-sama pa.s.sed away, I was seven years old. I went about fighting on the battlefield for roughly another five years, so… that makes me 12. In regards to my appearance, because of the ancient demon race’s special trait… my growth is just a little slow.”

12 years old.
When Luru thought about the fact that this girl fought for 5 years after that, he didn’t know what to say about the trouble he had put her through.
However, he thought that having said that, apologising might be the wrong thing to do.
This girl didn’t wish for an apology.
Not an apology, but instead facing forward, and thinking about what to do from now on, would surely make her happier.
Thinking this, Luru decided to risk not apologising.

However, though it was the truth that the ancient demon race grew slower, even that had its limits.
In particular, up until they matured as an adult, the grow of the ancient demon race was not all that slow compared to humans.
In that case, Iris’ growth was…
Thinking that far, Iris noticed Luru’s gaze, and looking down at her own body sadly, she sighed and said,

“…I am still twelve, and there remains the possibility of growth…”

She muttered, looking down with her cheeks dyed red in embarra.s.sment, Luru felt that it would be pitiful for him to consider this any further, and decided to stop.

Seeing Iris act like that, the heavy atmosphere lightened just a little, and Gran opened his mouth.

“…Got it. Still, for your age you’re quite the clever little miss[/jouchan], aren’t ya? Are all ancient demons like this?”

Luru replied to Gran’s question.

“No, I think Iris is special. The others weren’t any different to humans. There was a considerable difference to humans in their control of mana but… there wasn’t much difference on the inside.”

“Heh[/I see]… I had absolutely no idea I’d ever hear something like that from an ancient demon themself though. Hearing this, it seems ridiculous that they’re called a legendary race or whatever.”

Said Gran, seeming to have come to some conclusion － about the fact that Iris and Luru were of the ancient demon race, as well as what they spoke about just now.
You could say that a magnanimous person referred to this type of man.

Yuumis was a little different, and perhaps because she finally digested that Luru and Iris were ancient demons, it looked like she was little by little becoming excited.
Though you could say it was a just hobby, the things she had been pursuing for a long time were now before her eyes.
Her joy was probably immeasurable.
Moreover, it seems that Yuumis had picked up on a word that she couldn’t overlook.

“That you two are ancient demons… is something I understand now… But just a moment ago, there was something that Iris-chan said that I haven’t been able to forget about, you see.”

“My…! Just what did I say?”

Iris tilted her head to the side.
Yuumis then spoke.

“You said it, you know… ‘Retainer’ or something… Luru is an ancient demon, and you are too, Iris-chan. I’m fine with the story up to there. But… just what kind of position did Luru hold? Your words sounded almost as if you were serving him… If you mention an ancient demon… who was served by other ancient demons…”

From her manner of speech, Yuumis had probably more or less guessed at the truth.
However, she wasn’t convinced about it, and it was nothing more than a thought that she had come up with.
And then, Luru already had no real reason to hide it.
That’s why he spoke frankly.

“Yeah, you’re right… In the past, I was the one who the ancient demons followed… The one who led all of the demon race into battle… In my past life, I was――”

――――The 100th Demon King Luruslia Nord.

そのもの; ‘that thing in and of itself’, ‘per se’, ‘the very thing’

/Chapter 13 END